Favoritism
by pluie du nord
Summary: Genos notices that the minis tend to cling to Saitama, and it aches.
1. Tiny Shirts and Oil Tears

Hey there. 8) I decided to write something about the mini Genos clones and Saigenos, so here it is! This is a two-parter that I chose to upload separately from my drabble series, Family. Please enjoy!

* * *

It had been about two months since the mini Genos bots had come to live with the couple. All eight of them did well with adjusting to their new home and family, performing chores and even playing. It was cute- Saitama and Genos felt like real parents. Of course, they were AI, but the pair was responsible for assigning them bedtime and getting them fed, dressed, and bathed all the same. It was Cloud Nine for them.

Well... mostly.

Genos couldn't help but notice how every last one of the bots seemed to cling to the older male figure in the household. Of course, Saitama was amazing. He was strong, funny, and an excellent dad. Whenever they went out to the supermarket or park, the minis would argue over who got to hold dad's hand, not mom's. Sometimes they'd allow a few of them to cuddle up in their futon with them at night, and they'd press up against dad's chest. Not mom's. Dad always got the longer kisses on the cheek, his plate was the one being stolen from, his clothes were demanding to be worn despite being many sizes too big...

It stung, more than the cyborg could even fathom. Saitama was their favorite. By a long shot. He deserved it- how could Genos compete with his extraordinary partner? He couldn't.

One day when the minis were at the lab getting some tests done, the blond was folding tiny shirts, and it hit him like a brick house. Did they even love him...?

 _Yes, of course. Of course they do. They tell you all the time,_ he reminded himself. Okay. But, did they like him? That was almost more important. He wasn't nearly as cool as Saitama. He was weighed down by survivor's guilt, and his cool persona, and social awkwardness to a huge fault.

Before he knew it, a cascade of oil was spilling from his eyes. It was a horrible thought, his own clones- his own _children_ not liking him. They, along with Saitama, were the light of his life. A beacon of happiness in his bleak outlook.

Why didn't they like him?

Speaking of Saitama... the bald man gently approached his boyfriend, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Genos, Genos! Hey, baby. What's wrong?" he cooed, using his other hand to rub comforting along his spine.

The teen shuddered, at a loss for words for a moment. What to say? He felt pathetic. This wasn't something to be crying over.

"The... the bots. They don't like me!" And yet, as it came out, he sobbed, covering his face with his hands. A frown fell upon Saitama's face as he maneuveredhimself around, facing Genos now, gently embracing him.

"No way, that can't be right. They love you! You're a great... er, mother figure to them."

The cyborg made a miserable sound, leaning into his love's embrace. "Well... they like you more. They always want _your_ food, and _your_ kisses, and _your_ hats, and-"

"Hey..." Saitama hushed the other with a kiss- he didn't care about the oil at this point, he had nine of the little spouts to deal with. "You think the bots are doing some kind of picking favorites thing? Genos... yeah, I do the fun stuff. I play with 'em and throw 'em up in the air and catch 'em when they come down and teach 'em jokes, but you... you do the important stuff. You make sure they have shirts and shorts on at all times, make sure they're full of oil, brush their hair, keep their CPUs calibrated, read to them... all of that stuff that they'd be little hellions without. They're kids, so they may not realize how vital that shit is all the time, but I see it. You're doing so well, Genos. I'm proud of you." He kissed his awed boyfriend again, laughing slightly. "Hell, I'm proud of us both."

Genos smiled then, tears slowing down considerably. Saitama was right- he _was_ a good mom. They were just kids, after all. No need to take it so personally, right?

"Thank you."


	2. Warm Welcome and Cute Card

Here's the second chapter! :D

* * *

When the bots got back from the doctor's, Saitama immediately sent Genos to the supermarket to get some arbitrary items so he could talk to their sons in private. They all sat in order, teeny tiny legs tucked under their bodies in a neat _seiza_ , as their father figure lectured them.

"So! You're all probably wondering why I've sent mama out, and gathered you all here." The bald man was pacing, almost like an army general, in front of the bots. "Well... it's recently come to my attention that your dear, sweet mother... is sad."

Tiny gasps and 'oh nos' and 'not mamas' were heard. Number Six, who had a penchant for being overdramatic and sensitive, began to cry. The brothers on either side of him gently hugged him and stroked his hair.

"Hey, Roku! It's okay. It's okay, don't worry. I know how to fix it."

"How?" piped up Number Four, holding up his little pointer finger, flame ablaze. "We don't want mama to be sad... he's so nice! And warm!"

A chorus of 'yeahs!' followed. Seemed like they were all in agreement. Saitama grinned.

"I've got a few ideas. Come on, now! Get up, let's hurry! Yon, put away your finger guns, we don't need any fire!"

Excited chattering came next, as the bots stood up and started to skitter around. Number One, the group's appointed leader, tugged on Saitama's pants. "Daddy? Why is mama sad?"

Shit. What was he gonna tell the little guy? Smiling, he patted his head, leaning down a bit so he could meet black and amber eyes better. So much like Genos'...

"Don't worry about it. We'll make him feel better, okay? It'll be fine."

Seemingly satisfied, the tiny thing rushed off to meet his brothers, talking loudly about how they were going to make their mama happy again.

* * *

Once Genos got home later (it had taken a while, as Saitama sent him to City D, of all places), he opened the door and was greeted with the smell of something delicious- shrimp stir-fry? And was that cake?- as well as eight tiny voices calling his title.

"Mama's home!"

"Welcome home, mama!"

"Hi, mama!"

"I love you, mama!"

The cyborg smiled, even letting a laugh bubble up from his throat. Soon, the groceries were being pried from his hands by Saitama, who pressed a kiss to his welcoming mouth. "Welcome home, _mama_. I'll take care of these- give your boys some love."

Sighing softly, Genos nodded, kneeling down. Miliseconds later, eight little sets of arms were around him, nearly knocking him over.

"Hey," he breathed, kissing messy heads of blonde hair, who cheered, asking for more kisses and tighter hugs. "You guys..."

"We made you a card, mama! A card!" the sixth bot said- he'd insisted on being the one to give it to the cyborg. Going to the kitchen where it was safely stored, he grabbed it and rushed back, presenting it like it was the greatest thing ever.

And, to Genos, it was.

The card had a rather crude, adorable drawing of he and Saitama holding hands in the center, with all eight minis surrounding them. It said "WE LOVE YOU MAMA!" in a child's handwriting. When he opened it, the message inside (written in Saitama's handwriting) read,

 _Mama,_

 _We love you so much! You are smart and good and cool and pretty and nice and we couldn't imagine a world without you! Thank you for being the best mama EVER!_

 _Love,_

And underneath, each had signed their names in different colored crayon. Saitama even signed it, with a cute doodle of an egg with his face on it next to it. Some of the kids had put hearts next to their names, some putting smiley faces or little flames.

It was... the cutest thing Genos had ever seen, ever. Grinning from ear to ear, he clutched the card to his chest, breathing in and out evenly to prevent crying.

"Thank you so much... I love you all." He embraced the tiny ones again, small chirps of 'love yous!' echoing in the apartment.

"We made you your favorite meal, too!" cried Number Two excitedly. "Shrimp stir-fry, and a chocolate cake! Let's eat! Eat!"

Genos felt himself being tugged upward toward the table, which was larger now to accomodate for ten plates, and he couldn't complain. Glancing toward the kitchen where Saitama was finishing dinner preparations, he smiled, earning a smile back and a wink from the bald hero.

God, he loved his family so much.


End file.
